Sneaker graveyard: Time for a purge

I did a major purging of my home last week. My tiny place does not boast a lot of storage so I have to be strict with what I keep around. I will never be accused of being a hoarder. If I haven’t used something in the last year, it’s gone to either Value Village, a friend or to the recycling box. There’s a no junk rule imposed in my house.

But when it comes to my sneakers …. I tend to keep them longer than I should. I still have the pair of sneakers that I wore in the New York Marathon in 2011 and the first pair of New Balance runners that I bought in 2009.

When I first started running, I didn’t replace my shoes often. Money was a factor and I didn’t realize sneakers had a life span. Digging through my front, I even found a pair of North Face hiking shoes. (I know now I can simply wear my trail shoes when running or hiking on the mountains). Some shoes still had the old school timing chips. Ooops.

I made a decision – they had to go.

I will always have the memories from the races. I didn’t need the dirty, smelly, worn out sneakers. I grabbed the still useable pairs and shipped them off to Value Village. A reader on my Facebook page mentioned  A Better World in Lacombe donates old sneakers to countries where people cannot afford to buy shoes. I will have to keep this in mind the next time I do a purge.

I was left with two pairs of crossfit shoes (not shown) and six pairs of runners. I kept two for trail – Peregrine 5 and Altra Lone Peak 2.5 and two pairs of New Balance and one Saucony for the track. My Salomon Speedcross will stick around for another winter.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Now I have more room in my closet for more sneakers. Just kidding. I do not need any new pairs. But I have been considering getting another pair of Altras because I love them so much on the trail. I wonder how they are on the road. I recently listened to a Trail Runner Nation podcast with Golden Harper, the founder of Altra running. Now I want all the shoes.

How many pairs of sneakers do you own?

Do you regularly “purge” your sneakers?